The Joys of QRP (Lower Power Radio)
(I apologize to the non-technical amongst you reading this. But amateur radio is my hobby/passion and like any technical endeavour, be it medicine, law, sailing or baking, there is a specific technical patois that one must use to best communicate the concepts being discussed. If I use a term you don’t understand, keep in mind that in many browsers you can right-click (command-click) on the word in question and have your computer look up its meaning. I use this all the time as I browse the web. Better than “40 Days To A Better Vocabulary” for learning new words and concepts!)
I will admit that I have never run more power in ham radio than 150 watts. In my first career as a ham in the US, I could very well have run the legal limit at that time (1970’s - 1980’s), but I never understood the allure. I mostly ran 100 watts on SSB and about the same amount of carrier on AM using a Viking Valiant, although I sometimes ran lower power on rigs like my Viking Ranger or my Central Electronics 200V. And at one point I became enamoured with the idea of running real low power (QRP) and built a Heathkit HW-8, a small transceiver that had an output under 5 watts.
Compared to the HW-8, my current QRP transceiver is a vision out of Star Trek! The Elecraft KX3 has one of the best receivers in production and its ability to put out anything from milliwatts up to 12 watts makes it very flexible. It is also a general coverage and covers all amateur bands from 160 meters to 6 meters (as well as 2 meters with the installation of a recently available add-on kit).
I find the receiver performs so well, that I use it everyday for local AM radio reception, shortwave broadcasts, amateur nets as well as 100 percent of my digital operations (CW, RTTY, PSK31, JT65 etc.). I usually operate the transmitter at 5 watts or less, especially on digital modes such as RTTY, JT65 and PSK31.
I got the KX3 a year ago and gave it its first work out on a trip to Florida. I was amazed at how well I did there using either random wires or the AlphaLoop 40-15m portable antenna. I worked Europe as well as stations all over the western hemisphere using CW and SSB for the most part, although the KX3 does enable RTTY and PSK31 exchanges using the CW paddles to convert the morse code to the appropriate codes needed for the other two modes. Pretty amazing stuff. And of course, the KX3 also decodes incoming messages on its little display for all three modes. It is so much fun to use! Especially while sitting on a beach or anywhere out in nature!
I am not a big contester. For one thing, I do not have the antennas for it. Most serious contesters and most series QRP operators have very powerful antennas - beam antennas! - to give them that extra umph! needed to compete on the busy ham bands. QRPers in particular can make up for their minimal power output by getting gain from large antenna arrays. As for me, I most run on compromise antennas, random, end-fed wires or the aforementioned AlphaLoop.
In spite of this disadvantage I have managed to make some amazing contacts around the world. Take for example, the ARRL CW contest this last weekend. I wasn’t able to enjoy it much at all, but between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning I got in about an hour’s worth of participation in it. In that time I managed to work some amazing contacts on my little 5 watts of power out to a random, end-fed wire!
The list shows my contacts, all in Europe, using 5 watts of output from the KX3. Now, admittedly, many, if not all, of these stations are very high-end stations with incredibly powerful antenna systems. Most of them were running 500 watts put to a kilowatt output, which was helpful for me; but those antenna farms were what enabled them to pick up my peanut whistle signal. I say, good on them! And good on me for making all these contacts with a minimum of power or equipment!
Now, most of these operators are sending morse code at pretty high speeds, generally between 25 and 35 words per minute, which in the normal run of things I would have no hope of deciphering. However, I do have the advantage of little KX3 that will translate that fast code for me if the signal is clear and strong enough - which it often isn’t! Nevertheless, by listening closely to the formulaic transmissions two or three times, it is possible to decipher the information needed for a valid contact.
In the case of foreign stations, you need to be able to copy their call sign, their signal report (always 599) and their power. The only problem I had initially was realizing that a power report of 5TT means 500 watts. Once I figured that out, I was good to go. As I have mentioned before, I have a hard times sending over 21 words per minute, but that is plenty fast to make a contact with these speedsters. And as you can see, I was able to make 25 European contacts on three different bands (10, 15, and 20 meters). I find this kind of contesting to be a real rush and very satisfying. Highly recommended!
Which is not to say I don’t enjoy a leisurely rag chew at 15 wpm when I can find one!